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Alberta

“…(Alberta’s) been booming so long that people think it’s our time to suffer…”

Published

4 months ago

3 minute read

Producer Notes:

What an emotional piece of video here shared by Heidi, and the links between layoffs and suicide in Alberta. The data is very clear that there’s a direct correlation and an increase in suicide rates and what’s going on in our world gasps History and dad’s especially fathers can be under tremendous pressure if they’re the solo income earner for their family. Not only are you at high risk of financial collapse if you lose your job, but the emotional toll that that can take and the impact on your mental health, confidence.  My heart goes out to families that are suffering…”

 

The following is a transcript of the above video interview with Heidi McKillop, Director, Producer “A Stranded Nation”.

“…  The interesting thing about when you see this issue in the news about oil and gas and that we don’t need it, for instance, or that it’s dirty oil and then it’s getting displaced to another jurisdiction around the world is quite literally the impact it has had directly in this province.  

I mean, you can see in downtown Calgary especially, but definitely in the rural communities as well, like Grande Prairie, you name it.  There has been an unbelievable shift in terms of what communities are up against with layoffs, and there’s a part of a documentary — I don’t know if you know this, but there was an article, and it was the suicide rates going up 30 percent in Alberta that year.  

I mean, it’s a debate of if that was directly related related to the recession or not, that was part of it.  But there was certainly a connection between economic downturn and mental health issues on the rise.  

And that article was actually about a little girl that had killed herself because her dad had lost his job.  And it was a really, really sad article, and I just said to myself, I was like, if people can’t have compassion about the fact that people are drastically getting affected in their family lives, then that’s probably not the messaging that we’re trying to reach to those people, because they are obviously showing a lack of compassion in that area.  And that, to me, is very sad to see because it happens quite often.  

Especially when I go home, you know, Alberta’s been booming for so many years and so many decades, people just think we’ve been booming for so long and long enough that it’s our time to suffer.  But that’s just not the way that we should start thinking.  It’s very dangerous.  Yeah, it makes me so angry actually.  Yeah, it’s pretty rough.  

Heidi McKillop, Director, Producer “A Stranded Nation”

https://twitter.com/heidimckillop?lang=en

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A Director/ Producer who is motivated in changing the negative public narrative of Canadian energy development. Highly passionate about pipeline development projects, our national economic interests, energy security, a competitive oil & gas sector and the benefits it provides to all Canadians. An enthusiastic professional who is a resourceful, dedicated and results-driven advocate in representing our Canadian Natural Resource sector.

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Alberta / 4 months ago

“…(Alberta’s) been booming so long that people think it’s our time to suffer…”

Alberta

Alberta RCMP launches initiative to showcase positive stories

Published on December 1, 2020

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From Alberta RCMP

In order to connect with Albertans in a new capacity, the Alberta RCMP has launched the @Albertarcmpgrc Instagram account!

Through branching out on another platform, the Alberta RCMP wants to reach more Albertans, connecting with the people we serve so in turn, they can connect with us. The Alberta RCMP is committed to providing all of the communities where we live and work with policing services that they expect and deserve.

We are proud to serve all of the communities in our jurisdictions, both rural and urban, and we are proud of the many employees who make our organization what it is today. Alberta RCMP employees are a part of the communities they serve and they are proud of the many community activities, initiatives and groups they are a part of. Instagram will give us an opportunity to showcase the great relationships we are privileged to be a part of, both on and off duty.  Alberta is where we live, work, and raise our families, and we are excited to highlight many of the great things we are a part of and see here in the province.

“There’s so much happening day-to-day in the communities across Alberta that has such a positive impact on not only the citizens we serve, but our employees in all areas of our police service.“ said Deputy Commissioner Zablocki, Commanding Officer of the Alberta RCMP, “I’m happy to be able to share with Albertans what our employees are involved with, the passion they have to serve communities, and to learn about how all levels of the Alberta RCMP are working together with citizens to make their communities resilient, safe and secure.”

Followers can expect to see a continuation of campaigns such as #WhereWeWork, #CommunityMembers, and various stories about the locations that our employees call home. We will not post public safety messaging on Instagram due to the platform’s inability to easily share content.

Our first post is live and features a video showcasing our long history in Alberta, the beautiful sprawling landscape where we are proud to work, and our partnerships throughout the province.

The Alberta RCMP looks forward to connecting with all Albertans and hearing their thoughts and suggestions for Alberta’s policing needs.

Connect with the Alberta RCMP directly on Facebook @RCMPAlberta, Twitter @RCMPAlberta and now, on Instagram @RCMPAlbertaGRC.

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Alberta

Imperial Oil to write off up to $1.2 billion in Alberta natural gas assets

Published on December 1, 2020

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CALGARY — Shares in Imperial Oil Ltd. were rising after it announced late Monday it would write down up to $1.2 billion on Canadian assets it doesn’t think it will ever develop.

In a brief news release, it said it has reassessed the long-term development plans of its unconventional natural gas portfolio in Alberta and no longer plans to develop a “significant potion” of those assets.

It says that will result in a non-cash writedown of between $900 million and $1.2 billion in the current quarter.

In Toronto, Imperial shares rose by as much as 94 cents or 4.2 per cent to $23.42 on Tuesday morning, despite falling benchmark U.S. oil prices.

Imperial said the exploration lands it is shelving haven’t been developed and aren’t producing, adding the move doesn’t include natural gas prospects that are also rich in petroleum liquids.

Last week, the Calgary-based company said it would lay off about 200 of its 6,000 employees across Canada as part of a cost-cutting initiative due to low oil prices, adding it has reduced the number of contractors it employs by about 450 since the start of the year.

“We did not expect the company to allocate much to its unconventional assets in 2021 (or beyond) given its focus on the oilsands as well as cash returns to shareholders,” said CIBC analyst Dennis Fong in a report.

He added he expects Imperial’s move to be “immaterial” to his financial estimates.

Imperial is 69.6 per cent owned by U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil Corp., which said in October it would cut its global workforce by about 15 per cent, equating to about 14,000 jobs.

Exxon announced Monday it would take an after-tax impairment of US$17 billion to US$20 billion thanks to removing certain natural gas assets from its development plan.

Imperial committed in March to cut spending by $1 billion, including a $500 million reduction in capital spending plus $500 million in lower operating expenses, due to lower energy demand caused by lockdowns to prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:IMO)

The Canadian Press

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